Stranger from the Sea
by Ella Melon
Summary: On his search for the Avatar, Prince Zuko comes upon a shipwreck floating under a twilight sky. What secrets do the driftwood and the survivor hold for him? [Chapter 3 is up.]
1. A Stranger from the Sea

Avatar: the Last Airbender is copyrighted Nickelodeon Studios. Most situations presented are purely the author's ideas and are not affiliated with the original creators. Please keep this in mind when reading my fanfiction! Obviously, as such, most the prescribed characters are copyright Nickelodeon.

I revamped my story almost completely, saving only a few chapters and even editing those. I lost my drive and inspiration for the other story. I'm hoping I can try and funnel what I have left of it into this little… 'experiment'.

As for the plot of the story, it's an over used one, and that's actually the point! I wanted to see how I could spice it up and make it interesting, maybe even less Mary-Sueish. I mean, the situation has good potential if used properly.

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Chapter One: A Stranger from the Sea

**T**he only light in the small, dark room came from the two identical lanterns that hung on black chains from the ceiling. Beneath their light sat two figures, seated before a low table. Placed upon in was a game board with many different tiles played across the grid pattern – a usual game of Pai Cho. They were silent, and the only noises came from the steady creaking of the ship, as well as from the concise taps of the porcelain tiles as their positions were changed.

"It was fortunate for me, Prince Zuko," began the shorter, squatter figure as he moved a tile," that we managed to find a Lotus Tile." He smiled with satisfaction as he sat back on his cushion, folding his hands into his long sleeves. "However, I do not think you could be considered as lucky."

The Prince glowered at his uncle for a long moment, then looked back down at the board below him, raising a hand to tap thoughtfully on his chin.

_There must be some way to beat this strategy of his_, he thought, surveying his own pieces in the game. He seemed to brighten suddenly as a move dawned on him, and he reached out his hand over a tile. As his fingers brushed the smooth surface, his uncle grunted and shook his head. Pausing, Zuko moved his fingers over another tile. His uncle loudly cleared his throat and looked away, unfolding his arms to pound gently on his chest as if he was clearing up his congestion. His nephew dropped his arm and tapped on the wooden surface of the table, looking exasperated.

"Are you _quite _alright, Uncle?"

"Yes, yes." Iroh chuckled, folding his arms once again. "Just a bit of a cough."

Silence fell again over the two, and Zuko leaned in over the board, a scrutinizing eye cast over every piece, every combination, and every available move. Sighing, he adjusted himself back into a comfortable sitting position. _I have one final idea_, The Prince thought to himself, and slowly moved his hand over his fire tile. Iroh adjusted himself suddenly, and made a disapproving moaning noise, stroking his beard, eyes narrowed down at Zuko's move.

Zuko, now fully exasperated, brought his fists down angrily to the table, pushing up of them to stand in a huff. Flames flickered around his fingers as he snarled at the game board.

"I'm **through** playing this ridiculous game, Uncle!" The Prince spat, and he abruptly turned on his heel to depart the cabin, slamming the oblong steel door behind him as he left without saying another word to Iroh.

Iroh continued to stroke his beard, seemingly unaffected by Zuko's tantrum. He sat for a moment in silence, listening to the creaking of the vessel, then chuckled. He stood unhurriedly, stretching out his old joints as he studied the 'finished' game.

His expression grew quickly surprised, but with a few blinks, the old man's expression softened.

* * *

**P**rince Zuko took a deep breath of the salty ocean breeze as he came topside. Glancing to either side of himself, he saw his soldiers going about their daily chores – and upon looking up he saw the navigator and captain chatting at the wheel. And forward was the seemingly unbroken horizon of gray-blue sea. The white-capped waves were easily pushed to the side of the dark steel hull, and Zuko strolled from the doorway to the side of the vessel, looking across the waters.

As the prince studied the scenery, his uncle appeared on deck, squinting his eyes into the sudden sunlight. With a sigh, he moved towards where his nephew was standing, accompanying him. Zuko glanced down at his uncle, and then looked back at the ocean. Iroh smiled.

"You really should work on controlling your rage, Zuko."

"Yes, Uncle." Replied the boy bleakly.

Grunting at the tone of voice, Iroh shook his head. "I'm serious. Had you not been so quick to leave our game, you would've won. Instead, you let your temper control you rather than the other way around."

Zuko frowned, looking down at the rusted railing that he rested his hands on. No mater how hard he tried, he always allowed his anger to drive him, and oftentimes it would cause unneeded complications to arise. Iroh prescribed everything from meditation sessions to sparring to relive him of tension and stress, but still he couldn't contain that burning feeling that was so easily fueled within him.

The prince gripped tighter onto the rail, hunching his shoulders. With a raised eyebrow, Iroh studied his nephew, then looked back out across the choppy waters. They stood in an almost understanding silence, before Zuko suddenly leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he looked at something far in the distance, towards the horizon into where the sun was slowly sinking.

"Uncle!" He said quickly, pointing. Iroh followed his line of sight and nodded, signifying to his nephew that he saw the strange shape in the water.

Zuko called out to a crewmember, asking for a telescope that was quickly given to him.

"It's a ship," Zuko began, speaking slowly as he studied the sinking hull of the vessel, " but I don't think it's in very good shape." He looked down at his Uncle, offering the telescope to him.

"What should we do?"

Iroh accepted the telescope with a slight bow of his head. He raised the instrument to his eye, frowning as he looked at what appeared to be wreckage, "Looks like pirate work, Zuko."

Zuko made a sour face and snatched the telescope back, looking through it once again. After a tense moment, he lowered the object and sighed. "How can you _tell_, Uncle?"

"I can't, really." Chuckled the old general, though his expression lost its momentary mirth as he cast his gaze out towards the setting sun and the other ship. His nephew collapsed the telescope blindly, and handed it back to the crewmember that had given it to him. He thought for a moment, looking at his Uncle. Iroh felt the gaze and turned his head from the ocean to his nephew, and quickly offered him a short nod. The young prince frowned.

"Uncle, the Avatar –"

Iroh held up a hand to interrupt his nephew. "Haven't I already told you of the concept of karma? You alter your course; perhaps go a day out of your way to help. Then, perhaps somewhere along the way, the Avatar will rest for a day." He held up his hands, like scales. He raised and lowered them as if they were uneven, before slowly leveling them before his nephew.

"Karma. You see? Give a little, and perhaps you shall receive a little."

Zuko frowned deeper, but he felt defeated by the old man. He glanced at the crewmember that was clutching the telescope in his hands, looking off towards the shipwreck. Slowly, he looked at Zuko, frowning. The prince slowly flexed his hands into fists, feeling the heat of flames on his fingertips. Was he supposed to ignore the survivors? _I can't outright say it with a crewmember here that heard everything_, He thought bitterly. With a grunt of defeat, he turned to look up at the captain and the Navigator, cupping a hand around his mouth.

"Alter our course for the shipwreck! We're going to check for survivors!"

He twisted his head to look at his Uncle. "Happy?" He spat sharply, and Iroh smiled, holding up his hands that were level with each other.

"Karma, nephew. Karma."

Fin – Chapter 1.

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Thank you for reading!

Sometimes it's difficult to keep people in character when well, you didn't make them up. I hope I didn't make people, especially Zuko, out of character. But I think I did a fairly good job, however. In the next chapter we reach the lovely shipwreck. Woo!

Reviews are appreciated.


	2. A Stranger from the Sea, pt 2

Avatar: the Last Airbender is copyrighted Nickelodeon Studios. Most situations presented are purely the author's ideas and are not affiliated with the original creators. Please keep this in mind when reading my fanfiction! Obviously, as such, most the prescribed characters are copyright Nickelodeon.

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Chapter 2: A Stranger from the Sea, Part 2

**I**t was night as Zuko's ship pulled up alongside the floating wreckage. Many of the pieces of wood were burned black, already rotting in the damp water. The warm, orange light that shone from the lanterns upon the prince's ship did not help to create a friendly scene over the charred timber which appeared to have, at one point, to have made up a fishing vessel. The exiled teenager and his uncle stood together, peering over the railing of their own ship, the older man looking somewhat sorrowful as he viewed the sight.

"It's unfortunate." He breathed softly.

"Do…do you really think that this was the doing of pirates, Uncle?" The prince questioned, trying to keep up an air of removed remorse. However, the sound of anger and aggravation was laced upon his every word.

"There is no other reason why a ship in these waters would be burned." Came the simple reply.

"Do you think there are any survivors?"

"I…," Iroh paused, then looked up at his nephew, searching for what he thought Zuko might want to hear. Finally, he finished. "I don't think so."

"There should've been Fire Nation Navy ships here – just out scouting." Zuko said, looking out over the dark and somewhat choppy waves. "The pirates should've been expelled from these waters long ago. My father…" he trailed off. Iroh nodded, with a grunt of agreement. _It was true_, the old man thought, _the Fire Lord should've dealt with these rogue groups long ago_. _But, since when has my brother ever been concerned with small things such as pirates prying on the little people whom he has overtaken? No, his sights are on 'grander' things_. The retired general allowed his shoulders to sag. It was an unfortunate fact that wouldn't change, but he'd rather let his nephew think of it as a group that had merely slipped through the cracks – a fluke.

* * *

**T**wo soldiers stood guard on the deck of the ship, leaning on their spears in the lantern light. They chatted quietly, mostly about the next stop at port and what they might send back to their families who were anxiously awaiting their return home – which, of course, would not be for a while. The topic of the wreckage they were passing through came up, and one of the men sighed and moved to the railing.

"We should've stopped, maybe there is someone out there."

"The Prince didn't want to loose any time in his –" Suddenly, he was cut off my his friend.

"Look, look there!" He said, excitedly. "Someone is over there!"

The two looked over, and indeed, a huddle mass, slightly moving, was draped over a large piece of wood that was marked with dark scars from the fire that had devoured the vessel before it sank. Quickly, the man that had spotted the person cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling up towards the navigator and captain:

"Man overboard! Stop the ship!"

There was momentary chaos on the ship before the large vessel slowed to a stop, the Prince immediately rushing out from his cabin once he heard of the alarm. He moved directly to talk to the man who'd called out. With a quick bow to his lord, the soldier began to explain.

"Back there, Lord Zuko, there is a body floating in the wreckage. I could swear that it was moving." He seemed out of breath as he motioned behind him, "We must go back – we can't leave them there."

The prince glanced at his uncle, who looked very serious. The two locked eyes for a moment, and then the prince nodded, as if the two had exchanged some sort of silent message between one another. Motioning to another solider nearby, Zuko spoke:

"Quickly, ready a scouting ship."

The soldier nodded and turned on his heel, pushing his way through the small group of others that had gathered around, curious at the happenings so late at night. As the tension seemed to relax from the situation, the men began chatting amongst themselves. Zuko's lip curled and clenched his fists, looking at them sharply.

"Just because the ship has stopped doesn't mean you all can stop as well! Get back to your posts, immediately!"

* * *

**T**he boat hit the water with a slight jerk, and after the ropes were detached from the iron loops, the scouting vessel pushed away from the large, dark side of the Prince's main vessel. As they moved away towards the survivor through the choppy waters, a few men on board lit their own lanterns to light their way through the scattered wood.

There were bits of fishing net, draped over broken boxes that floated alongside seared pieces of canvas that must've once been the sail for the small vessel. There was little talking, and the whole mood of the group was somber until the main navigating pointed wordlessly towards the lump that had been spotted.

It was indeed a person, though one in bad shape. The long black hair was tangled and draped over the face, and their clothing was burned and torn. However, it was indeed still moving slightly. There was a ripple of murmurs ad the scout boat pulled alongside the body, and two of the men leaned over the side of the boat, gripping the person's shoulders tightly and heaving the soaked body on board. Zuko quickly rose from his seat and slipped in front of the body, helping the men to lift it up.

As the hair slipped from it's face, it was suddenly obvious that the person was indeed a female, about as old as Zuko himself. She was breathing shallowly, and had a deep gash on her forehead, the blood having congealed already into a nasty-looking scab. She was obviously unconscious, and after a bout of vigorous shaking, she still stubbornly refused to awaken. The prince instructed one of his soldiers to hold her before signaling to return to his ship.

"We got what we came he for." He said softly, then moved back to sit beside his Uncle, looking deep in thought as the older man looked up into the dark sky, sprinkled generously with stars.

Fin – Chapter 2.

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Thank you for reading!

Tried really hard to make Zuko more in-character this time.

Reviews are appreciated.


	3. An Explaination

Avatar: the Last Airbender is copyrighted Nickelodeon Studios. Most situations presented are purely the author's ideas and are not affiliated with the original creators. Please keep this in mind when reading my fanfiction! Obviously, as such, most the prescribed characters are copyright Nickelodeon.

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Chapter 3: An Explaination.

**T**he scouting boat returned to Zuko's main ship without incident, though the girl's condition didn't change as they pulled up alongside the dark hull of the warship. As the men on either side of the small vessel attached the dangling chains to the iron rungs, the Prince turned towards his Uncle, frowning.

"What are we supposed to do with a girl on board?"

Iroh sighed, gripping onto the edge of his seat as the boat lurched upwards and out of the water, moving back up to the main deck. "It would've been wrong to leave her to die."

"I know _that_, Uncle." The prince said harshly, looking offended. "But what if her condition doesn't improve and she just lies in bed? We have a medic on board, but…" He trailed off, as if he wasn't sure what he was trying to explain.

"When we stop into port again," He looked at his nephew sharply, "We can transport her to a clinic. Until then, she cannot be left and expected to drift into the arms of a doctor."

"Yes, Uncle."

The vessel was secured, and slowly the men boarded the larger ship, two of his soldiers carrying the unconscious girl between them. A few soldiers gathered around, whispering, but no one really said anything. As Zuko jumped on board, he quickly directed his men to place her in the infirmary and have the ship's doctor look after her.

"He's to give me a report in the morning." The young man demanded, before striding quickly down the corridor to his own quarters. Iroh watched him go, then turned and inclined his head politely to the men on board.

"Thank you for your help, it is much appreciated."

* * *

**Z**uko awoke particularly early, his sleeping schedule having been particularly erratic in light of the recent events that hard surrounded him, mostly involving his close call with the boy Avatar. He dressed quickly and left his room, moving up into the misty gray of the early morning, the sun rising ever so slowly. It was damp and cool, and the prince welcomed the feeling with an almost relaxed sigh.

He walked past the stationed guard, who looked drowsy. Obviously, his replacement had yet to come and relive them. He nodded to him, mimicking the way his Uncle would. It felt stiff and awkward to the exile, though the soldier responded with a weary salute. The Prince choose to let him alone for his sloppy form – this time – and continued on his way to the very front of his ship, face in the rushing wind. They were moving faster than they had been the previous few days. Perhaps the idea of pirates had encouraged his crew to pick up the pace on the trail they were following.

His mind roamed over what was most recently troubling him – his loyalty had been called into question. The risk that he took had been great. Had he betrayed his nation, his father, by rescuing the Avatar for his own gain, perhaps setting in motion a series of events that may lead to his father's downfall? Or did he do it for another reason, a more _humane_ reason? His shoulders sagged, and he felt a knot in his stomach grow.

"I want to please you, father." He explained softly into the salty breeze.

"I want you to welcome me back home, to treat me like your son. Not like a traitor!"

He slammed his fist down into the railing of the ship, the metal sizzling at the combination of morning dampness and the Prince's hand that had grown hot with aggravation. Slowly lifting it, the young man studied the dark mark left there, frowning.

"My Lord?"

Zuko was snapped out of his thoughts by a meek voice, and quickly turned to face the ship's doctor, who was rubbing his hands together to warm them in the morning cool. The physician bowed low before continuing, the Prince crossing his arms over his chest.

"The patient suffered a concussion to the left side of her head, though it seems to be healing up quite well. I don't see there being any lasting damage, other than perhaps a, er, scar."

The Prince nodded, gesturing for the man to continue.

"She's still asleep, though. I managed to rouse her from her unconsciousness with a few herbs, but she wasn't in the right state of mind to remain awake. I gave her a sleeping drought not too soon afterwards."

"Is she still sleeping now?" Zuko asked calmly.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Thank you, that's all I need. Notify me if her condition changes. Dismissed."

The doctor quickly turned after bowing deeply, and returned to the area below deck. The teenager watched him go, then turned to face the ocean again, eyebrows furrowed as his thought now turned back to the young shipwreck victim that he had allowed on board.

* * *

**A**fter his mid-morning sparring session and a meal, the Prince decided that he'd like to pay a visit to the young woman in the infirmary, never actually having got a good look at her in the darkness that had surrounded them all when she had been rescued. He excused himself from a game of Pai Cho with his Uncle, not wishing to play any more frustrating rounds with the retired general. He'd rather leave that pleasure to the other men of the ship.

He walked briskly down the narrow corridor before finally stepping into the well-lit room where the ill and wounded of his crew were kept. The doctor was in one corner, washing his hands as he recited some poetry under his breath. Upon noticing the Prince, he stopped abruptly and quickly bowed, upsetting the washbowl in the process. Wrinkling his nose, Zuko ignored the timid excuses from the doctor and looked over the beds.

There was only one in use, towards the back. He recognized the tangled black hair and moved over to stand over her. She looked much more peaceful, now that the blood had been washed away and her head wound had been wrapped. He nodded. _She should be well by the time they reach their next checkpoint_, he reasoned, _and then we can be rid of her_. As he thought, she stirred slightly, and her eyes fluttered open. They stared at each other in silence before she suddenly put a hand to her head and moaned softly, closing her eyes once again. Zuko blinked, and looked behind him as the doctor approached the girl, sliding onto a nearby stool that he had left there. The Prince took a step back.

"Oh, ow." She murmured as the doctor nodded sympathetically, reaching into his robe and removing a small frond of leaves. He offered it towards her as he assisted her in sitting up, and she took it gratefully, putting the fresh-looking sprig into her mouth. The doctor nodded and patted her shoulder.

"That should help with the pain." He explained, and she nodded, as if already feeling the effect.

"I want to ask you some questions." The Prince said suddenly, moving around to the other side of the bed, across from the doctor. She blinked slowly and looked at him, her hand dropping from her head to her lap. The other man looked as if he wanted to say something, then rethought it and sighed, remaining silent.

"Questions…?" She repeated the teenager slowly, adjusting herself in her large red robe that was obviously made for a male of a much larger stature than her own. The Prince nodded.

"What happened to you and your ship?"

"My ship? No, it belongs to – Oh no!" She yelped suddenly, "The ship!" She looked suddenly alert, the dreamy, half-awake stupor gone from her brown eyes. She looked between the two men on either side of her, the doctor placing a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up and out of the bed.

"Child, we found you floating in the water." He explained, and she groaned woefully.

"B-but, the ship!" She said in a pleading voice, looking at him with wide and frightened eyes.

It took some time to calm her down, but eventually, once the mild hysterics had passed, she agreed to speak to the two of them about what had happened the day the fishing vessel had sank. She didn't look at either of the men as she spoke, and instead looked down at her lap, hands gripping at the thick blanket that covered her legs.

"I was going to help my father and my brother." She began to explain, her voice soft. "Like I always do. My mother stayed at home with my younger siblings. We make our money by fishing." She paused, swallowing, before she continued. "It was an average day. We cast the nets out, the weather was nice. The sun was getting pretty high in the sky, so Father suggested we break to eat our lunch before we continued."

"We had just finished our meal when my brother spotted a ship off in the distance. Father assumed it was another fishing ship, though my brother said it didn't look like any from our village. I laughed at him, called him paranoid!" She took a deep breath, her voice cracking. "I was wrong. I was so wrong." She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, wincing as her wrist pushed up against the bandages on her forehead.

"Well, it got closer and closer, but we paid it no mind. Suddenly… there was this horrible sound like lightning cracking. And then I realized that the mast was…it had been broken in two. I had been mending nets in it's shade when suddenly it was gone, the whole thing had just collapsed onto the deck. My brother and father began shouting, and shoved me below in the tiny storage area there. I was scared… they wouldn't tell me anything."

"They kept yelling, at each other, at the boat. Then I head more explosions. There was so much yelling and smoke and fighting." She held her head in her hands and hunched her shoulders. The doctor looked at the prince, who was standing, stone faced as he looked at the girl. Inside, he felt anger growing. _Pirates, they're disgusting. The scum of the ocean_. He thought, bitterly recounting to himself his own ordeal with the type. _And then they choose poor fishermen to get their kicks, and what is my father doing about it? Nothing_. His nose wrinkled as he thought about it. _Nothing_.

She suddenly began to speak again, looking up at the doctor desperately. "I couldn't bear to be down there in the dark anymore, without my family. I wanted to help them! I took up an oar that we stored down there for when the sails when slack and I pushed open the hatch and climbed up. I…I s-saw these h-horrible people!" She stammered, "Fighting. My brother saw me – he was bleeding! – He screamed at me to hide. He screamed at me to run – and then I turned to see another pirate. He grinned at me, and then he rose up his club. I tried to block it with the oar, but… it was so painful, and everything was dark and wet."

The three sat in silence, before Zuko nodded. "Thank you." He said emotionlessly, and then turned and left the infirmary without looking back. He felt livid, and his skin prickled with the heat rising from him. His Uncle met him halfway down the corridor, and upon seeing his expression, invited him to have some tea. The young man needed to have a nice, claming drink, along with a nice, calming chat.

Fin – Chapter 3.

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Thank you for reading!

As I wrote this chapter, I realized just how long it was going to take me to get Zuko and the mysterious fisherman's daughter to actually talk. You know, outside of questioning her about her situation and the like. I'm going to try and speed it up, hopefully without making it move _too_ fast. Stories like this can become Mary-Sues in a split second if the author isn't careful.

Reviews are appreciated.


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